investigations
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15 Things preschoolers can observe in the fall
Autumn gives us plenty of examples to explore changes in our world. Here are 15 different things that you can use to practice observation skills with preschoolers: Leaves changing colors Leaves falling off trees Leaves on other plants (Are they falling off too? Is it just trees that lose their leaves?) Trees that are not changing colors (Why do some trees change colors while others do not?) Bugs (What are they doing? Is this different from what they do at other times of the year?) Squirrels Other animals (What animals do you see? What are they doing?) The temperature Weather patterns The clothing you are all wearing (Is it different…
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Cloud art!
When it comes to art, I believe in giving children the materials and letting them do their thing. This is especially true if an art project also happens to be related to the project that we’ve been working on because I want them to have the opportunity to express their own understanding of the topic. I try to anticipate the materials that they will want, and I will often ask them to help me create a list a couple of days before we do the project so that I can make sure I have the items that they want or need. Here are some of the things that I collected…
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Autumn observations to use in the classroom
Autumn is the perfect time of year to help children practice making observations. There are so many things happening right outside our windows, encourage the children to sit and watch, or go for a walk and do some exploring. Here are some things the the children might notice: Leaves changing Leaves falling off trees Summer flowers starting to disappear The air getting cooler Squirrels and birds preparing for winter Different kinds of plants growing (pumpkins, squashes, mums) Fall or Halloween decorations appearing Having to wear jackets outside Each of these observations can lead to wonderful conversations about the seasons, and how we prepare for seasons to change. These kinds of…
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Starting a child-led apple investigation
It’s almost that time of year – time to explore all things apples and pumpkins. I don’t know what it is about apples, but we can’t seem to make it through a school year without some kind of apple activity or snack. I’m all for exploring these fall favorites, but lets let the children determine what they want to learn. The best way to start a child-led investigation is incredibly easy; just put some apples on a table and see what happens. I do suggest a number of different kinds and colors of apples, because these will lead to a number of different conversations. Young children are curious about EVERYTHING,…
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Weather basics – an experiment
This weather experiment is super easy, and I’ve done it with my classes for the last few years, but my kids love a good science experiment, and are super into weather, so I got it out again. It’s pretty basic, you fill a clear container with water and top the water off with shaving cream, the shaving cream is supposed to be a cloud. Then you put a few drops of food coloring (blue is suggested because it is supposed to be like rain, but I usually let the kids choose whatever color they want) on top of the cloud, and eventually the food coloring will saturate the cloud and…
